The University of Massachusetts Lowell (UMass Lowell) and Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) are committed to fostering productive and sustainable interdisciplinary research collaborations among our faculty and students. We are pleased to provide seed funding to teams of researchers from both institutions. These projects will promote synergistic collaborations that align with and advance the strategic priorities of the UMass Lowell and FGCU research communities, leading to external funding, industry partnerships, and entrepreneurial activity.
This year’s priority areas are:
- Energy
- Resilience
- Artificial intelligence (AI)
- Finance
- Economic Development
Funding Amount and Award Period
UMass Lowell (UML) and FGCU plan to award up to five (5) collaborative projects at up to $20,000 each. Exactly half of each awarded project’s budget should be allocated to each university (for example, $10,000 to UML, $10,000 to FGCU). Each institution may only pay for the costs incurred by its own participants.
Funds are awarded for a 12-month period (February 1, 2026 – February 1, 2027). No extensions will be granted.
Application Deadline
Proposals must be submitted through InfoReady by Friday, November 14 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Please visit the InfoReady competition page to download the full solicitation under "Supporting Documents" and review the complete document for guidelines, proposal requirements, and evaluation.
Eligibility
- All full-time tenured/tenure-track faculty at UMass Lowell and ranked faculty at FGCU are eligible to participate.
- Proposing teams must include faculty members from both UMass Lowell and FGCU. The lead principal investigator (PI) may come from either institution, or the team may choose to have co-PIs, one from each institution.
- An individual faculty member may serve as the lead PI on one proposal and co-PI on one additional proposal.
- PIs from UMass Lowell are eligible to apply even if they already hold an active internal grant from UMass Lowell’s Office of Research Development (ORD).
Teaming Recommendations
- Complete the UML-FGCU Teaming Form (Google Form) to add your research expertise and express interest in applying. You may also browse responses from other faculty interested in finding a collaborator for the UML-FGCU seed grant (Google Spreadsheet).
- Register for the UML-FGCU virtual teaming session (Zoom) on Wednesday, October 15th from 2:00-3:30pm ET. UMass Lowell’s Office of Research Development will provide an overview of the funding opportunity, followed by theme-based breakout rooms for networking and brainstorming among potential applicants.
- UMass Lowell faculty may also use Dimensions or GrantForward to find possible collaborators at either institution.
- Faculty from either institution may contact UMass Lowell’s Office of Research Development (email: RD@uml.edu) to facilitate introductions.
Timeline
- September 30, 2025 – Announcement of call for proposals
- November 14, 2025 – Proposal deadline
- November/December - Proposal review
- December 19, 2025 – Notification of decision to applicants
- February 1, 2026 – Disbursement of funds (12-month award period)
Deliverables
Awardees are required to submit a final report outlining activities and outcomes no later than 12 months after the project end date. Instructions for the report will be provided near the end of the award period.